CVE-2015-3457 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
Magento Community Edition (CE) 1.9.1.0 and Enterprise Edition (EE) 1.14.1.0 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via the forwarded parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3457 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw affecting Magento Community Edition version 1.9.1.0 and Enterprise Edition version 1.14.1.0. This issue stems from improper handling of the forwarded parameter within the Magento authentication system, creating a pathway for remote attackers to circumvent the standard login mechanisms. The flaw exists in the way the application processes HTTP headers, specifically the X-Forwarded-For header, which is commonly used to identify the original IP address of a client connecting through a proxy or load balancer. When Magento processes this header without proper validation, it can be manipulated by attackers to assume the identity of other users or gain administrative access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within Magento's session management and authentication flow where the application relies on the forwarded parameter to determine user context and access rights. This weakness falls under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication mechanisms, specifically focusing on the improper handling of authentication credentials or context information. The flaw enables attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the web server and Magento's authentication system by manipulating the forwarded header to present false user information. This manipulation allows unauthorized access to administrative panels, customer data, and sensitive system configurations without proper credentials.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3457 is severe and multifaceted, potentially leading to complete system compromise and data breaches. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to customer databases containing personal information, credit card details, and other sensitive data. The vulnerability also enables attackers to modify product catalogs, manipulate orders, and execute administrative functions that could result in financial losses and regulatory compliance violations. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials usage and privilege escalation through authentication bypass mechanisms. Organizations running affected Magento versions face significant risk of data exfiltration, service disruption, and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-3457 should include immediate deployment of official patches provided by Magento, which address the improper handling of forwarded headers in the authentication process. Organizations should also implement network-level restrictions to control access to administrative interfaces and monitor for unusual patterns in forwarded header usage. Security configurations should enforce strict validation of HTTP headers and implement additional authentication layers such as multi-factor authentication. Network segmentation and access control lists can help limit exposure of administrative interfaces to trusted IP ranges only. Regular security auditing and monitoring of authentication logs should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in web application security, where applications should never trust client-provided information without proper verification and sanitization.